USPTO Examiner MCCALL SHEPARD SONYA D - Art Unit 2898

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
18757573MANUFACTURING METHOD OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING GATE OXIDE LAYERJune 2024April 2025Allow1000NoNo
18736560HIGH VOLTAGE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING BURIED OXIDE LAYERJune 2024April 2025Allow1110NoNo
18667347TWO-ROTATION GATE-EDGE DIODE LEAKAGE REDUCTION FOR MOS TRANSISTORSMay 2024April 2025Allow1100NoNo
18657752SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH SOURCE/DRAIN EPITAXIAL LAYERMay 2024January 2026Allow2110NoNo
18705273SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENT WITH DAMPED BONDING SURFACES IN A PACKAGE WITH ENCAPSULATED PINSApril 2024June 2025Allow1420YesNo
18622511LITHOGRAPHIC CAVITY FORMATION TO ENABLE EMIB BUMP PITCH SCALINGMarch 2024March 2025Allow1110YesNo
18595162HARDMASK FORMATION WITH HYBRID MATERIALS IN SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICEMarch 2024August 2025Allow1710NoNo
18594864METAL-INSULATOR-METAL STRUCTURE AND METHODS OF FABRICATION THEREOFMarch 2024July 2025Allow1710NoNo
18593505SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES WITH BACKSIDE POWER RAIL AND METHOD THEREOFMarch 2024March 2025Allow1310NoNo
18444918MULTI-GATE DEVICES WITH MULTI-LAYER INNER SPACERS AND FABRICATION METHODS THEREOFFebruary 2024October 2025Allow2021NoNo
18444356SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH HELMET STRUCTURE BETWEEN TWO SEMICONDUCTOR FINSFebruary 2024December 2024Allow1000NoNo
18443106SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH FIRST AND SECOND SOURCE/DRAIN EPITAXIAL LAYERSFebruary 2024July 2025Allow1700NoNo
18439445METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND RECORDING MEDIUMFebruary 2024June 2025Allow1610NoNo
18437321DIFFUSION BARRIER LAYER FOR SOURCE AND DRAIN STRUCTURES TO INCREASE TRANSISTOR PERFORMANCEFebruary 2024May 2025Allow1611NoNo
18434347LITHOGRAPHIC CAVITY FORMATION TO ENABLE EMIB BUMP PITCH SCALINGFebruary 2024February 2025Allow1310YesNo
18432377REPLACEMENT MATERIAL FOR BACKSIDE GATE CUT FEATUREFebruary 2024September 2025Allow1930YesNo
18415765SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING A LINER LAYER AND METHOD OF FABRICATING THE SAMEJanuary 2024January 2025Allow1210YesNo
18416375SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES WITH CIRCUIT ACTIVE ELEMENTS AND DUMMY ACTIVE ELEMENTSJanuary 2024November 2024Allow1000NoNo
18411837DISPLAY APPARATUSJanuary 2024January 2025Allow1310NoNo
18410016SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE STRUCTUREJanuary 2024April 2025Allow1511NoNo
18407007SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING DOPED EPITAXIAL REGION AND ITS METHODS OF FABRICATIONJanuary 2024January 2025Allow1201NoNo
18401957Lateral Transistor with Self-Aligned Body ImplantJanuary 2024March 2025Allow1420NoNo
18395892METHOD AND STRUCTURE FOR AIR GAP INNER SPACER IN GATE-ALL-AROUND DEVICESDecember 2023May 2025Allow1720YesNo
18391891CHIP PACKAGE WITH LIDDecember 2023January 2025Allow1310NoNo
18527394DISPLAY DEVICEDecember 2023February 2026Allow2700NoNo
18518642SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING AN ISOLATION REGION HAVING AN EDGE BEING COVERED AND MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR THE SAMENovember 2023January 2025Allow1410NoNo
18517565A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE FOR RECESSED FIN STRUCTURE HAVING ROUNDED CORNERSNovember 2023April 2025Allow1620NoNo
18513297SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING EPITAXIAL REGIONNovember 2023January 2025Allow1410NoNo
18511604NEIGHBORING GATE-ALL-AROUND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT STRUCTURES HAVING DISJOINED EPITAXIAL SOURCE OR DRAIN REGIONSNovember 2023March 2025Allow1611NoNo
18508260SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE HAVING ASYMMETRIC SOURCE/DRAIN REGIONSNovember 2023March 2025Allow1620NoNo
18508367GATE INDUCED DRAIN LEAKAGE REDUCTION IN FINFETSNovember 2023April 2025Abandon1820YesNo
18507138GAP PATTERNING FOR METAL-TO-SOURCE/DRAIN PLUGS IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICENovember 2023January 2025Allow1410YesNo
18502162HIGH POWER MODULE PACKAGE STRUCTURESNovember 2023January 2025Allow1410YesNo
18378468TRANSPARENT ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAMEOctober 2023December 2024Allow1510NoNo
18483432DISPLAY APPARATUSOctober 2023November 2024Allow1300NoNo
18480479DEPTH SENSOROctober 2023December 2025Allow2700NoNo
18474231SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING A HYBRID BONDING STRUCTURESeptember 2023February 2026Allow2900NoNo
18446771INTEGRATED CIRCUIT AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAMEAugust 2023October 2024Allow1410NoNo
18263931SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH BLOCKS INCLUDING UNITS WITH A PROTECTION ELEMENT AND A BUMP CONNECTED TO A MAIN UNITAugust 2023February 2026Allow3110NoNo
18363460THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEMORY DEVICES HAVING CHANNEL CAP STRUCTURES AND METHODS FOR FORMING THE SAMEAugust 2023February 2026Allow3001NoNo
18362476ULTRA-THIN FIN STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF FABRICATING THE SAMEJuly 2023March 2025Allow2020YesNo
18362177Source/Drain Regions of Semiconductor Devices and Methods of Forming the SameJuly 2023April 2025Allow2021NoNo
18361921SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGE WITH THERMAL RELAXATION BLOCK AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOFJuly 2023November 2024Allow1511NoNo
18361464SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH FIN ISOLATIONJuly 2023November 2024Allow1610NoNo
18360390PROTECTIVE PASSIVATION LAYER FOR MAGNETIC TUNNEL JUNCTIONSJuly 2023September 2024Allow1410NoNo
18358399STRUCTURE AND FORMATION METHOD OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE STRUCTURE WITH GATE STACKJuly 2023July 2024Allow1101NoNo
18225160SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE STRUCTURE HAVING AN ISOLATION LAYER TO ISOLATE A CONDUCTIVE FEATURE AND A GATE ELECTRODE LAYERJuly 2023August 2024Allow1311YesNo
18357431GALLIUM NITRIDE TRANSISTOR WITH A DOPED REGIONJuly 2023August 2024Allow1210NoNo
18355548SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING RECESSED SIDEWALLJuly 2023February 2026Allow3100NoNo
18354114FIN-TYPE FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR WITH INDEPENDENTLY BIASABLE SUPPLEMENTARY GATE AND METHODJuly 2023February 2026Allow3111NoNo
18345068SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES WITH INTERFACE BETWEEN GATE ISOLATION STRUCTURE AND DUMMY CHANNEL HAVING CURVED PROFILE AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURING THEREOFJune 2023May 2025Allow2330NoNo
18215459SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING ISOLATION PATTERN FORMED BASED ON INSULATING LAYER AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAMEJune 2023February 2026Allow3211YesNo
18342254METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING METAL ZERO LAYERJune 2023September 2025Allow2700NoNo
18341394SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICEJune 2023January 2026Allow3111YesNo
18341329CIRCUIT CELLS HAVING POWER STUBSJune 2023February 2026Allow3201NoNo
18213130METHOD FOR MAKING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH SELECTIVE ETCHING OF SUPERLATTICE TO ACCUMULATE NON-SEMICONDUCTOR ATOMSJune 2023February 2025Allow1920NoNo
18339076SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE INCLUDING DIFFERENT DEVICES AND METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAMEJune 2023January 2026Allow3101NoNo
18335168INTEGRATED CHIP WITH A GATE STRUCTURE DISPOSED WITHIN A TRENCHJune 2023October 2024Allow1610NoNo
18209101SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE HAVING FUSE BELOW GATE STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THEREOFJune 2023February 2025Allow2121NoNo
18205538SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING MERGED SOURCE/DRAIN FEATURES AND METHODS OF FABRICATION THEREOFJune 2023July 2024Allow1420YesNo
18326522SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES INCLUDING AN ISOLATION INSULATING PATTERN ON A BOUNDARY REGION OF A SUBSTRATE AND BETWEEN FIRST ACTIVE PATTERNS AND SECOND ACTIVE PATTERNSMay 2023August 2024Allow1510YesNo
18255234INTELLIGENT POWER MODULE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOFMay 2023December 2025Allow3010NoNo
18325335SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH REDUCED CONTACT RESISTANCEMay 2023September 2024Allow1610NoNo
18324662Selective Removal Of An Etching Stop Layer For Improving Overlay Shift ToleranceMay 2023September 2024Allow1620NoNo
18323764SHALLOW TRENCH ISOLATION STRUCTURES HAVING UNIFORM STEP HEIGHTSMay 2023June 2024Allow1310YesNo
18318195SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH FIN STRUCTURESMay 2023February 2025Allow2130NoNo
18317397Transistor Contacts and Methods of Forming the SameMay 2023July 2024Allow1410NoNo
18313766METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH SEMICONDUCTOR CAPPING LAYERMay 2023May 2024Allow1210NoNo
18313638SOLID STATE TRANSDUCER DEVICES, INCLUDING DEVICES HAVING INTEGRATED ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE PROTECTION, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODSMay 2023June 2024Allow1310NoNo
18312301INTEGRATED CIRCUIT STRUCTUREMay 2023July 2024Allow1520YesNo
18142872SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND DATA STORAGE SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAMEMay 2023November 2025Allow3110YesNo
18307259SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES INCLUDING A LOWER POWER INTERCONNECTION LINE AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURING THE SAMEApril 2023January 2026Allow3310YesNo
18306769Fin Field-Effect Transistor With Void and Method of Forming The SameApril 2023May 2024Allow1210NoNo
18304483FLEXIBLE ELECTRONIC DEVICEApril 2023April 2024Allow1210NoNo
18297831AIR SPACER FORMATION WITH A SPIN-ON DIELECTRIC MATERIALApril 2023May 2024Allow1310YesNo
18132924SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE STRUCTURE INCORPORATING AIR GAPApril 2023June 2024Allow1401NoNo
18194026METHOD OF PROCESSING SUBSTRATE, METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, RECORDING MEDIUM, AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUSMarch 2023July 2024Allow1610NoNo
18188521STRUCTURE PROVIDING POLY-RESISTOR UNDER SHALLOW TRENCH ISOLATION AND ABOVE HIGH RESISTIVITY POLYSILICON LAYERMarch 2023October 2025Allow3110NoNo
18188812SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH DIFFUSION SUPPRESSION AND LDD IMPLANTS AND AN EMBEDDED NON-LDD SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICEMarch 2023July 2024Allow1610NoNo
18189032DISPLAY DEVICE HAVING A COVER LAYER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAMEMarch 2023September 2025Allow3010NoNo
18182893SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING AIR GAP BETWEEN GATE ELECTRODE AND SOURCE/DRAIN PATTERNMarch 2023March 2024Allow1210YesNo
18119434SEMICONDUCTOR EPITAXIAL WAFER AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SEMICONDUCTOR EPITAXIAL WAFER, AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICEMarch 2023December 2023Allow1000NoNo
18118010SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE STRUCTURE INTEGRATING AIR GAPS AND METHODS OF FORMING THE SAMEMarch 2023March 2024Allow1310NoNo
18116826HIGH VOLTAGE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING BURIED OXIDE LAYERMarch 2023May 2024Allow1420NoNo
18115780SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING GATE OXIDE LAYERMarch 2023October 2024Allow2040NoNo
18176257SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE AND METHOD FOR FORMING THE SAMEFebruary 2023December 2025Allow3301NoNo
18113188OXIDE SEMICONDUCTOR, THIN FILM TRANSISTOR, AND DISPLAY DEVICEFebruary 2023October 2024Abandon1920NoNo
18170790Stacked Semiconductor Structure and MethodFebruary 2023April 2024Allow1410NoNo
18110315SOURCE OR DRAIN STRUCTURES WITH LOW RESISTIVITYFebruary 2023February 2024Allow1210NoNo
18167770CAPACITIVE ISOLATOR AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THEREOFFebruary 2023January 2026Allow3510NoNo
18105620METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICEFebruary 2023November 2025Allow3301NoNo
18163410MULTI-LAYER ELECTRONIC DEVICE INTERCONNECTION METHOD AND STRUCTUREFebruary 2023January 2026Allow3520YesNo
18156624FIN FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR (FINFET) DEVICE STRUCTURE WITH DUMMY FIN STRUCTUREJanuary 2023February 2024Allow1310NoNo
18151901Deposition Method for Semiconductor DeviceJanuary 2023February 2026Allow3711NoNo
18150841Isolation Regions with Non-Uniform Depths and Methods Forming the SameJanuary 2023January 2026Allow3711NoNo
18149899Semiconductor Devices Including Through Vias and Methods of Forming the SameJanuary 2023July 2025Allow3101NoNo
18148233SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING REFLECTIVE SYMMETRYDecember 2022January 2024Allow1310YesNo
18089451SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING SHALLOW TRENCH ISOLATION STRUCTURES AND FABRICATION METHOD THEREOFDecember 2022October 2025Allow3411YesNo
18086938ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE PROTECTION DEVICESDecember 2022August 2025Allow3211NoNo
18069910CONTROLLED GRAIN GROWTH FOR BONDING AND BONDED STRUCTURE WITH CONTROLLED GRAIN GROWTHDecember 2022December 2025Allow3620NoNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner MCCALL SHEPARD, SONYA D.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Decisions

Total PTAB Decisions
2
Examiner Affirmed
1
(50.0%)
Examiner Reversed
1
(50.0%)
Reversal Percentile
76.0%
Higher than average

What This Means

With a 50.0% reversal rate, the PTAB reverses the examiner's rejections in a meaningful percentage of cases. This reversal rate is in the top 25% across the USPTO, indicating that appeals are more successful here than in most other areas.

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
13
Allowed After Appeal Filing
3
(23.1%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
10
(76.9%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
31.2%
Lower than average

Understanding Appeal Filing Strategy

Filing a Notice of Appeal can sometimes lead to allowance even before the appeal is fully briefed or decided by the PTAB. This occurs when the examiner or their supervisor reconsiders the rejection during the mandatory appeal conference (MPEP § 1207.01) after the appeal is filed.

In this dataset, 23.1% of applications that filed an appeal were subsequently allowed. This appeal filing benefit rate is below the USPTO average, suggesting that filing an appeal has limited effectiveness in prompting favorable reconsideration.

Strategic Recommendations

Appeals to PTAB show good success rates. If you have a strong case on the merits, consider fully prosecuting the appeal to a Board decision.

Filing a Notice of Appeal shows limited benefit. Consider other strategies like interviews or amendments before appealing.

Examiner MCCALL SHEPARD, SONYA D - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner MCCALL SHEPARD, SONYA D works in Art Unit 2898 and has examined 971 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 96.4%, this examiner allows applications at a higher rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 18 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner MCCALL SHEPARD, SONYA D's allowance rate of 96.4% places them in the 86% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner is more likely to allow applications than most examiners at the USPTO.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by MCCALL SHEPARD, SONYA D receive 1.32 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 19% percentile for office actions issued. This examiner issues significantly fewer office actions than most examiners.

Prosecution Timeline

The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by MCCALL SHEPARD, SONYA D is 18 months. This places the examiner in the 96% percentile for prosecution speed. Applications move through prosecution relatively quickly with this examiner.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +0.8% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by MCCALL SHEPARD, SONYA D. This interview benefit is in the 18% percentile among all examiners. Note: Interviews show limited statistical benefit with this examiner compared to others, though they may still be valuable for clarifying issues.

Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Effectiveness

When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 38.1% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 87% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs are highly effective with this examiner compared to others. If you receive a final rejection, filing an RCE with substantive amendments or arguments has a strong likelihood of success.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 62.8% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 88% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: This examiner is highly receptive to after-final amendments compared to other examiners. Per MPEP § 714.12, after-final amendments may be entered "under justifiable circumstances." Consider filing after-final amendments with a clear showing of allowability rather than immediately filing an RCE, as this examiner frequently enters such amendments.

Pre-Appeal Conference Effectiveness

When applicants request a pre-appeal conference (PAC) with this examiner, 133.3% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 86% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: Pre-appeal conferences are highly effective with this examiner compared to others. Before filing a full appeal brief, strongly consider requesting a PAC. The PAC provides an opportunity for the examiner and supervisory personnel to reconsider the rejection before the case proceeds to the PTAB.

Appeal Withdrawal and Reconsideration

This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 85.7% of appeals filed. This is in the 79% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 58.3% occur early in the appeal process (after Notice of Appeal but before Appeal Brief). Strategic Insight: This examiner frequently reconsiders rejections during the appeal process compared to other examiners. Per MPEP § 1207.01, all appeals must go through a mandatory appeal conference. Filing a Notice of Appeal may prompt favorable reconsideration even before you file an Appeal Brief.

Petition Practice

When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 35.7% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 23% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Note: Petitions are rarely granted regarding this examiner's actions compared to other examiners. Ensure you have a strong procedural basis before filing a petition, as the Technology Center Director typically upholds this examiner's decisions.

Examiner Cooperation and Flexibility

Examiner's Amendments: This examiner makes examiner's amendments in 0.4% of allowed cases (in the 59% percentile). This examiner makes examiner's amendments more often than average to place applications in condition for allowance (MPEP § 1302.04).

Quayle Actions: This examiner issues Ex Parte Quayle actions in 5.1% of allowed cases (in the 81% percentile). Per MPEP § 714.14, a Quayle action indicates that all claims are allowable but formal matters remain. This examiner frequently uses Quayle actions compared to other examiners, which is a positive indicator that once substantive issues are resolved, allowance follows quickly.

Prosecution Strategy Recommendations

Based on the statistical analysis of this examiner's prosecution patterns, here are tailored strategic recommendations:

  • Consider after-final amendments: This examiner frequently enters after-final amendments. If you can clearly overcome rejections with claim amendments, file an after-final amendment before resorting to an RCE.
  • RCEs are effective: This examiner has a high allowance rate after RCE compared to others. If you receive a final rejection and have substantive amendments or arguments, an RCE is likely to be successful.
  • Request pre-appeal conferences: PACs are highly effective with this examiner. Before filing a full appeal brief, request a PAC to potentially resolve issues without full PTAB review.
  • Appeal filing as negotiation tool: This examiner frequently reconsiders rejections during the appeal process. Filing a Notice of Appeal may prompt favorable reconsideration during the mandatory appeal conference.

Relevant MPEP Sections for Prosecution Strategy

  • MPEP § 713.10: Examiner interviews - available before Notice of Allowance or transfer to PTAB
  • MPEP § 714.12: After-final amendments - may be entered "under justifiable circumstances"
  • MPEP § 1002.02(c): Petitionable matters to Technology Center Director
  • MPEP § 1004: Actions requiring primary examiner signature (allowances, final rejections, examiner's answers)
  • MPEP § 1207.01: Appeal conferences - mandatory for all appeals
  • MPEP § 1214.07: Reopening prosecution after appeal

Important Disclaimer

Not Legal Advice: The information provided in this report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. You should consult with a qualified patent attorney or agent for advice specific to your situation.

No Guarantees: We do not provide any guarantees as to the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the statistics presented above. Patent prosecution statistics are derived from publicly available USPTO data and are subject to data quality limitations, processing errors, and changes in USPTO practices over time.

Limitation of Liability: Under no circumstances will IronCrow AI be liable for any outcome, decision, or action resulting from your reliance on the statistics, analysis, or recommendations presented in this report. Past prosecution patterns do not guarantee future results.

Use at Your Own Risk: While we strive to provide accurate and useful prosecution statistics, you should independently verify any information that is material to your prosecution strategy and use your professional judgment in all patent prosecution matters.